Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Treatments and Procedures

Dialysis

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/daɪˈæləsɪs/nounCommon term

In medicine, dialysis means: A treatment that removes waste products and extra fluid from the blood when the kidneys can no longer do this themselves.

In Turkish: diyaliz

How it is used

The two main types are haemodialysis (US hemodialysis), usually three sessions a week in a unit, and peritoneal dialysis, done at home using the lining of the abdomen. Patients are 'on dialysis'; doctors discuss dialysis access, such as a fistula or line.

Example sentences

  1. He has been on dialysis for three years while he waits for a kidney transplant.

  2. Her potassium is dangerously high, so the renal team is arranging urgent dialysis.

Common collocations

  • on dialysis
  • start dialysis
  • dialysis unit
  • peritoneal dialysis
  • dialysis session
  • chronic kidney diseaseLong-term loss of kidney function, lasting at least three months, which usually gets worse slowly over years.
  • edemaSwelling caused by too much fluid in the body's tissues, most often seen in the ankles and legs.
  • chronicLasting a long time, usually more than three months, or coming back again and again; used for diseases that are controlled rather than cured.
  • specialistA doctor who has trained for several more years in one area of medicine, such as cardiology, neurology or orthopaedics.

More terms: Treatments and Procedures

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